Rafael made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday afternoon in western Cuba before weakening, the National Hurricane Center said.In a 10 p.m. update, the center said Rafael was moving away from western Cuba as it headed to the southeastern Gulf of Mexico,

Tropical Storm Rafael intensified into a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday, making landfall in western Cuba as it approached the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The storm is bringing life-threatening storm surge, damaging hurricane-force winds, and flash flooding.

Hurricane Rafael hit the Cuban province of Artemisa as a Category 3 storm Wednesday afternoon with sustained wind speeds of 115 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.